House votes 88-15 to repeal Florida’s no-fault car insurance system
"We will be able to do this at a cost reduction to the average driver in
But it's not just a question of whether the state's Personal Injury Protection system should be repealed. A crucial issue is how.
Among House dissenters, state Rep.
Under the House bill, HB 19, drivers could save up to
For most drivers, it won't impose a startling new requirement because more than 90 percent in
In contrast, drivers' savings would dry up and overall premiums are projected to rise after full implementation of SB 150, according to a
The
It amounts to "PIP version 2.0" and preserves a "costly and inefficient" system, said
Medical providers including hospitals say they are required to treat drivers in emergencies and need medpay to ensure drivers have at least some coverage for injuries.
Lee called his bill "a work in process" and an attempt to balance competing interests.
Both bills would end's
"For the life of me, I don't see the purpose of PIP," triathlete
Another issue: Will PIP repeal increase lawsuits? Questioned on the House floor a day earlier about that, Grall said she knew of no definitive analysis on the immediate impact.
But the bill certainly would end a flood of PIP lawsuits already engulfing the state, she said. That's one ironic outcome of a system started in the 1970s with the expressed aim of reducing trips to the courthouse.
"I believe there would be a decrease in litigation," Grall said.
A state working group in 2011 estimated 95 percent of the 36,509 lawsuits filed against insurers in Florida's county courts in 2010 involved PIP. Many came from health-care providers suing insurers to get paid. In the first eight months of 2011, the report said, another 46,842 suits were filed.
Lawsuits did not spiral out of control in
Meanwhile, drivers reaped a huge benefit. They saved 35 percent on their overall car insurance bills or
"I was pleasantly surprised it works,"
But a key question going forward is whether
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